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Multiuse Paracord Hammock in a Nalgene

This is a hammock that can be used a food net (to keep bears away from food), fishing net, shelter, and of course a hammock.

Step 1: Matierals

To make the hammock you will need:
200 ft of 550 paracord (will not use all of it)
Ruler
Lighter
Scissors or Knive
Measuring Tape
To make the survival kit you will need:
Pocket knife
Duct Tape
Whistle
Nalgene
Fire steel

Step 2: Cutting the First Set of Paracord

Take the paracord and cut 2 pieces that are 70 in long. The cut 14 peices that are 118 in long. Then hang one 70 in piece from two trees, two poles, or something about head height. Make it mildly tight.

Step 3: Hanging the Strands

Pick up one 118 in strand find the middle. Then tie a half hitch, after that pull it tight. Tie all the other 14 strands on with a half hitch. Place all of then 5 in apart. Tighten them all again to make sure.

Step 4: Tieing the Knots

Cut a wood dowel or plain wood so it is 5 in. long. This will be used to measure the legnth of the squares. Take the two middle strands on the right side then tie an overhand knot that is roughly 5 in. from the top. Then take the dowel to measure 5 in. then adjust the knot. Do this all the way across the first row.Tip: The two very end strands will start not to be tied you will tie them every other row.

Step 5: Starting and Finishing the Rows

Once you get to the end of the first row. You go right to left. You still have to measure the five inches and adjust the knots.Do this until the hammock looks like a net and you can tie no more knots.

Step 6: The Bottom Strand

Tie the other 70 in long cord and tie so that is near the last knots you made. Then watch the video on how to tie the next knot.

Step 7: Cutting the Ends

Simply cut the ends each loose string so it is so has 1 in. ends. Then at all four corners of the whole hammock tie a bowline.

Step 8: Burning the Ends

Take your lighter and burn all the fraying ends. When doing this be careful not to burn your hammock to much.

Step 9: Cutting the Next Set of Paracord

Cut two pieces of paracord that are 5 ft long. Then tie bowlines on the ends of each strand.

Step 10: Making the Survival Kit

First you need to take the duct tape and wrap it around the nalgene 6 or 7 times. The duct tape can come off and be used again. then you need to put the hammock in the nalgene. To do this you fold it hot dog style then roll up really tightly. While doing this make sure you tie the four bowlines on the corners together. If you don't it will get tangled. Then place all the other survival supplies in there. Include the two 5 ft strands. Then clip the four carabiners to the nalegene.

Step 11: How to Do the Different Uses of the Hammock

Below are a few videos to help you out with your multi use paracord hammock.
Hammock: Watch the video.

Back pack: When you make the back pack you put the stuff in after you clip the two side carabiners and watch the video.

Shelter: Watch the video and you need to collect a lot of weeds and leaves to put on top.

Fish net: you need to make the holes smaller so just move the knots closer together and watch the video.

Bear bag: Watch the video and if you have smaller items you need to put a blanket or towel down before you put your food down. Also use a taller tree.

One thing though: The first cow knots slide so when you get up, if you can (if your like me), they slide to the middle. it works. I would suggest getting a blanket or put pipe foam on the sides.

first you should find your tree

How i determined my size: put the end of the paracord (about 2") under your foot. Then reach for the sky as far as you can, then cut there. Then measure the length of that cord (in inch) then divide that number by 5. thats how many 118" strands you will need

First off, this project will work. I made it while in the woods and I spent the night in it. Here's the issue: I'm a larger guy 6'5" and 200' of paracord is a too short. I plan on remaking it and using about 350' of cordage. I also ended up making some spreader bars from sticks on the ground to help keep it open.

I am 6'1", and it took me 317ft of paracord to make my hammock. It does NOT fit in a Nalgene, because it is much more paracord than the author used.

I did find a flaw; With the measurements I used, and with your design, it is somewhat difficult to get INTO the hammock. Because the hammock is a rectangle, and that I paired the 2 loops at each end of the hammock together(2 loops at one end together, and the 2 other loops together), it likes to fold in half, making it somewhat difficult to get into. Conventional hammocks are triangular at the ends, ( <==>, as a crude example).

With this in mind, I might come up with a way to add a stick to each end of the hammock to make it stay flat. I will TRY to update here, but I am somewhat busy with college, so I'll see how it goes.

PS: To be fair to survivalman, I am not critiquing your design; I am only trying to make it more comfortable.

Important to remember the difference of height between people, the 70 inch sides aren't long enough for a 6 ft person like myself (72"). I made mine 120" long on the sides and 160" for the cross strands ( but they end up half that and even shorter due to the loss in length from knotting them into net). So adjust your lengths accordingly, the first one I made is too small for me so I'm going to use it as a stuff hammock I can hang over my bigger one. Also I can drape a sheet of plastic over it and down either side of mine to keep me out of the wind and rain.

I was pondering making this, and I was wondering how the lengths made sense until I read your comment. I am 6'1" and I knew that the original measurements weren't going to work for me, so it was a relief to see yours on here. I based my blueprints on your measurements, but I ran into a snag. Even if I increase the length of the 2 horizontal strands, and the length of the 14 vertical strands, and still space them 5" apart, if I stick with 14 strands, it will still be just be a 70" surface to lay on.

So after a few calculations(a lot actually, my calculations weren't very clear to read on paper, so I had to redo them 3 or 4 times), I figured out that it would be ideal, for a person that is 6' tall, to have 20 cross strands, still spaced 5" apart. That makes a total of 95" of space to lay on, and that leaves around 12.5' or cord for each bowline on the 2 horizontal strands.

I might make an instructable(don't quote me on this, I procrastinate a lot) on how to do this with adult measurements, but if I do, all credit goes to survivalman. I don't want to rip off your instructable, I just want to make it less confusing for people of my height, so I'll let you know if I do it and I'll send the credit your way.

Do a search for net making on youtube. There is a really good one for making a hammock like this one out of 550cord. The posters name on youtube is

johnjayrambo11111

I would also, istead of using carabiners, use an anchor shackle that a lot of people have been using for paracord bracelets and keyfobs. Just do a search for anchor shackles on google. They are very sturdy, can hold a lot of weight, are small, and don't weigh very much. Also, if anyone nneds wholsale paracord go to